Tony Flannery, PriestMy Response: This is a great photo depicting the wonderful humor and delightful spirit of Tony Flannery. Keep on laughing, Tony, it is a great way to pray especially during stormy times. Solidarity and prayers from your women priests friends and supporters around the world. Bridget Mary Meehan ARCWP, www.arcwp.org

"Silenced Irish priest Fr. Tony Flannery has made a final plea with Church authorities to lift the sanctions imposed on him and other clerical colleagues ahead of the Pope's historic visit to Ireland later this year.

The popular Redemptorist, from Athenry, Co. Galway, was ordered to step down from priestly ministry six years ago by the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) for voicing his liberal views on issues such as women priests, homosexuality and contraception.

But the outspoken 71-year-old, who's a huge supporter of Pope Francis, insists a move to lift the sanctions would be both timely ahead of the papal visit in August, and would receive widespread support from the Irish public."

"Attempts to make the church smaller and more pure will only achieve one of the two—and it is probably not the latter.

That was the message from Cardinal Joseph Tobin in a talk at Villanova University on April 12, during which he urged Catholics to resist allowing “the individualism that permeates our culture” to infect the church.

“Even from ancient times, there have been individuals and movements who have tried to define and delimit what is means to be a Catholic Christian,” the Newark archbishop said. “Nevertheless, the universal church has always repudiated such attempts. It is only the Lord who ultimately judges who belongs or does not belong.Cardinal Tobin: “It is only the Lord who ultimately judges who belongs or does not belong” to the Catholic Church

The cardinal’s comments were part of a conference at the Pennsylvania university exploring the impact of Pope Francis on the church.

The notion of a smaller church based on faithfulness and obedience to church teaching has become more popular over the past couple of years.

In 2016, Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput said in a speechdelivered at the University of Notre Dame that the church should “do everything we can to bring tepid Catholics back to active life in the church.” But, he continued, “we should never be afraid of a smaller, lighter church if her members are also more faithful, more zealous, more missionary and more committed to holiness.”

And before he was elected pope, Benedict XVI suggested in an interviewthat as the role of Catholic culture diminishes in the wider culture, the church itself may grow smaller. But Cardinal Tobin said a closer examination of the former pope’s theological works goes against the notion that the former pope would welcome this development.

“No circling of wagons here,” the cardinal said of Benedict’s theology. Cardinal Tobin said that engagement with the world is a Christian principle that dates back to the earliest followers of Jesus.

More recently, Rod Dreher, an editor at The American Conservative, wrote a popular book called The Benedict Option, in which he argues that civil society has become overly hostile to Christian belief, requiring believers to separate themselves from the dominant secular culture.

Cardinal Tobin seemingly condemned this approach to faith, characterizing it as an effort to form “small enclaves” of believers who will somehow “safeguard the treasure of the Christian tradition in its purest form from the corrosive intrusion of a corrupt society.” He said instead that engagement with the world is a Christian principle that dates back to the earliest followers of Jesus.

Cardinal Tobin said that the church is still learning how to live out the missionary call laid out by the Second Vatican Council, and he said both St. John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI offered examples of how to invite believers and nonbelievers alike to engage with Catholic teaching.

Reading his remarks from an electronic tablet, the cardinal said Catholics must not be afraid of engaging with the world.

“The church has no other option but to turn outward,” he said. “This turning outward extends to the human condition in its heights and depths.”

Some of that engagement may be difficult, he conceded.

During a question-and-answer session following the talk, the cardinal, who made headlines when he welcomed a group of gay and lesbian Catholics on pilgrimage to the Newark cathedral, addressed the firing of L.G.B.T. people from Catholic institutions. He said that the place of L.G.B.T. people in the church is not an easy topic for some church leaders, but they must grapple with it.

“The church has no other option but to turn outward. This turning outward extends to the human condition in its heights and depths.”Tweet this

“I think it’s a very difficult question,” he said of the termination of such church employees, often after elements of their private lives are made public. He added that “the church is moving on the question of same-sex couples,” albeit not as quickly as some people would like. Dialogue, he said, is key.

“What I say to people in same-sex relationships and want to teach, I say, ‘How do you do it?’ Help me understand. How do you communicate the fullness of the Catholic position on the moral question and justify...the choices you’ve made with your life? Just help me understand that,” he said. “Sometimes people do.”

He said another form of engagement involves partnering with groups on shared priorities, even if there are differences in other areas. Pope Francis’ teaching on the environment and the partnerships between the church and secular partners it has generated, he said, serves as an example of the kind of engagement envisioned by Vatican II—even when partners hold disagreements about other issues.

“The church in recent decades has been somewhat marginalized by many for what they see as a preoccupation with sexual ethics. The church cannot reverse itself on its sexual ethics, but Pope Francis has shown that there are other issues on which the church and world can work together,” Cardinal Tobin said. “This, too, is a step in the trajectory that leads back to Vatican II.”

During his talk, the cardinal also appeared to give a signal of support to backers of Pope Francis who say his teaching on family life, “Amoris Laetitia,” represents another “paradigm shift” in the church’s pastoral ministry. The phrase became a shorthand method to signal support for the pope back in January, when Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state, said Pope Francis had initiated a “paradigm shift” in the church. Critics took issue with the line, saying the true church does not change with the times.

Cardinal Tobin appeared to refute that claim, employing the phrase not only with respect to “Amoris Laetitia” but also calling the Second Vatican Council “one of the many paradigm shifts” in the history of Catholicism. (His comments echoed those of another American archbishop, Cardinal Blase Cupich, who in a February speech spoke favorably of a “paradigm shift” in the church.) “As with all paradigm shifts, especially after some ecumenical councils, it provoked controversy,” Cardinal Tobin said of “Amoris Laetitia.”

Wrapping up his talk, the cardinal said the church may indeed become “smaller.”

“But there will also be the adventurers,” he said, “as there have been since the beginning, who perhaps timidly at first but then boldly, driven by the Gospel and their conscience, will go to the margins—maybe close by, maybe far away—and engage themselves in the struggle for justice, for equality, for the recognition of the infinite dignity of every human being, and for peace.”

Presider 1: We gather
joyfully and begin in the name of the Infinite Love that is the Source of all
Being, Eternal Word and Holy Spirit, Amen.

Opening Prayer

Presider 2:Holy One, You
comforted Jesus hanging on a cross- when the men had fled in fear- through the
ministry of women :Mary of Magdala, Mary, mother of Jesus, Salome, Mary of Clopas
and Mary, Mother of James

ALL: May we reach out with the
gift of support and encouragement to those who suffer rejection, abuse and
violence. May we work for sytemic justice for all who are treated as second
class citizens.

Presider 1: Holy One, You
spoke through Mary of Magdala, apostle to the apostles, who encountered the
fullness of divine life after death in the presence of Jesus on Easter.

ALL:May the Spirit of extravagant giving at work,
within people of good will everywhere, foster abundant life and joy for all.

Presider 2: Holy One, the
Easter Women were the last at the cross and the first ones to encounter the Risen
Christ.

ALL:May we, like the Easter women, be the bearers
of the good news that the Spirit that dwells within us is faithful and empowers
us to be the face of God in our world.

Presider 1:Holy One, may we rejoice with Mary of Magdala
and the Easter Women on our path to celebrate our oneness with everyone and
with everything in creation.

"Go then, preach the good news about the Realm. Do not lay down any rule
beyond what I determined for you, nor promulgate law like the lawgiver, or else
you might be dominated by it."After the Risen One had said these things, he
departed from them. But they were
distressed and wept greatly. "How are we going to go out to the rest of
the world to announce the good news about the Realm of the child of true
humanity?" they said. "If they did not spare him, how will they spare
us?" Then Mary stood up. She
greeted them all, addressing her brothers and sisters, "Do not weep and be
distressed nor let your hearts be irresolute. For his grace will be with you
all and will shelter you. Rather we should praise his greatness, for he has
prepared us and made us true human beings." When Mary had
said these things, she turned their heart toward the Good, and they began to
debate about the words of the Teacher Peter said to
Mary, "Sister, we know that Jesus loved you more than all other women.
Tell us the words of the Teacher that you remember, the things which you know
that we don't because we haven't heard them." Mary responded, "I
will teach you about what is hidden from you." And she began to speak
these words to them. She said, "I
saw the Teacher in a vision and I said to him, ' Jesus, I saw you today in a
vision.'He answered me, 'How wonderful you are for not
wavering at seeing me! For where the mind is, there is the treasure.' These are the inspired
words of Mary of Magdala

Second
Reading: “How Easter Became a
#MeToo Movement" by John Blake, CNN

Some of
the same behavior that led to the #MeToo movement also shaped the Easter story,
some scholars say.

For billions of Christians around the world, Easter Sunday is a celebration of
a risen savior. Yet what happened to Mary Magdalene shows that Easter can also
be seen as something else -- a #MeToo moment, some pastors and biblical
scholars say.

They say Easter is also a story about how charismatic female leaders such as
Mary Magdalene -- and even Jesus himself -- were victimized by some of the same
behavior that sparked the #MeToo movement: the sexually predatory behavior of
men, the intimidation of women and an orchestrated attempt to silence women who
drew too much attention when they spoke up.

If
Easter were an action movie, the men would have the juiciest parts. There's the
crafty villain Judas, who betrayed Jesus for a payday; the blustering Peter,
whose bravado quickly melted when Jesus got arrested; and "Doubting
Thomas," who spoke for so many when he said he needed proof before he
believed.

But a closer look shows that women are the real action "heroes," some
pastors and scholars say.
They were the ones who stood by a tormented Jesus hanging on a cross when the
men had long fled in fear. And they were the ones Jesus first appeared to, not
the men, all four Gospel accounts say. A woman, Mary of Magdala, not a man, was
the first person to preach an Easter sermon, according to the Bible.

“The
two disciples recounted what had taken place on the way (to Emmaus) and how
Jesus was made known to them in the breaking of the bread. “

At the conclusion of the story of doubting
Thomas, the Risen Christ tells the disciples. “You are witnesses of these
things.”

These
are the inspired words of Luke 24:35, 48

HOMILY Starter: Bridget Mary Meehan ARCWP

Today
we celebrate Mary of Magdala and the Easter women as role models of courage who
accompany us on our journey to a more inclusive, just and equal church.

These faithful women were the last at the cross
and the first to proclaim the good news. John’s Gospel describes a scene of tender
embrace between Mary of Magdala and the Risen Christ which ends with her apostolic
mandate to preach the first Easter sermon. The disciples of Emmaus, one of whom,
may have been a woman, encounter Christ in the breaking of the bread.

Our first reading from the Gospel of Mary
recounts the leadership role of Mary and the challenges she faced as she
ministered to Jesus’ male disciples after the Resurrection.

Our second reading makes the connection between
the failed attempt of the male apostles to silence the Easter women and the #
Me Too movement.

It wasn’t easy then and it sure isn’t easy now as
the Vatican hierarchy finds ways to block out women’s voices—as if that is
effective in our social media facebook and twitter world

In March the former President of Ireland, Mary McAleese
had to speak outside the walls of the Vatican because Cardinal Kevin Farrell
banned her from speaking at a conference to be held within the Vatican on
International Women’s Day.

McAleese reproved the Vatican as it prepares
for an upcoming papal visit to Ireland on August 25-26th for its century-old misogyny:

"I believe that women should be ordained,” she
told reporters in recent weeks. I believe the theology on which (the ban on
women’s ordination) is based is pure codology. I’m not even going to be
bothered arguing it. Sooner or later, it’ll fall apart, fall asunder under its
own dead weight.”

Continuing the firestorm, Dr Sharon Tighe-Mooney, author
of What About Me? Women and the Catholic Church, wrote
in the Irish Times: “The Catholic experience continues to be male-centred, male
focused and disseminated from the male perspective. However, she is hopeful
because women are rising up and speaking out. She concludes: “Women who see
clearly the reality of how they are judged by the church are no longer willing
to remain silent. In December 2017, three Catholic organisations, FutureChurch,
Women’s Ordination Conference, and Call To Action, launched a new initiative,
#CatholicToo. It joins with movements such as #MeToo, #EverydaySexism and
#TimesUp, in the international initiatives by women to announce that being
silenced and being subject to unfair and often abusive treatment because of
their gender is no longer tolerable in any setting."

(Women no longer content to be silent
on lack of church role,”Sharon Tighe-Mooney Tue, Apr 3, 2018, Irish Times)

In conclusion, in a commentary on Pope Francis' recent encyclical:"Should women rejoice over 'Gaudete et Exsultate'?"

Jamie Manson writes in an insightful article in the National Catholic Reporter:

"Francis' prescribed path to holiness for women will remain narrow as long as he celebrates the patriarchal idea that God created men to be leaders and action-takers and women to be nurturers and servants. The path will remain truncated as long as he continues to exalt ideas that justify the rule of men over women.Can women really achieve wholeness is an institutional church that does not see them as equal? Can women grow into holiness under a pope who insists that they are incapable of administering sacred rites? Can women reach the fullness of life to which God calls them in a church that rejects their gifts and bars them from ministering to the body of Christ? As long as these limits remain on a woman's ability to be fully alive in her church, there will be serious limits on the extent to which she can truly rejoice and be glad." https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/grace-margins/should-women-rejoice-over-gaudete-et-exsultate

As we celebrate the role of Mary of Magdala
and the Easter women in our MMOJ inclusive Catholic Community, we know that Christ
is rising today in the new movements for
gun control, for justice for young immigrants in DACHA, and in many other ways.
Through each of us and all of us together, Christ is loving, healing, empowering
and transforming us and making our church more equal, more inclusive and more just. We are the change we have been waiting for. Hallelujah!

I conclude with
an inspirational song sung by Mindy Lou Simmons.

As Mary of Magdala experienced deep trust in the Risen Christ holding her and calling her to be an apostle, so we do too.

Presider 1: We can do all things in the power of Your Spirit working
through us.

ALL: Amen

PREPARATION OF THE GIFTS

Presider 2:Blessed are You, O
Holy One, through Your divine providence we have this bread to offer, it will
become for us the Bread of Life.

ALL: Blessed are You forever.

Presider 1:Blessed are You, O
Holy One, through Your divine providence we have this wine to offer, it will
become our spiritual drink.

ALL: Blessed are Youforever.

Presider 2:Nurturing One, we
are united in this sacrament by the love of Jesus in communion with all who
proclaim the liberating power of your Spirit,
rising in our midst.

ALL:Amen.

Presider 1:O Heart of Love, You dwell in us,

ALL:And we dwell
in You.

Presider 2:O Pursuer of Justice, You speak truth through
us.

ALL:In service
to our sisters and brothers.

Presider 1:, O Source of All Life, in you we live and move
and have our being,

All: All the
days of our lives.

EUCHARISTIC
PRAYER

Voice 1: O Holy One, You love through us as we reach out to our
sisters and brothers who are abused and exploited. Your Spirit, who raised
Jesus from the dead, is rising up in all who work for justice. With thankful
hearts, in the company of Mary of Magdala and the Easter women, in the company
of the angels and saints, your liberating Spirit rises up within us and works
through us.

Voice 2: O Liberating One. You are the Heart of Love. Your Spirit
moved through Mary of Magdala and the Easter women as they stood by the broken
body of Jesus and encountered the Risen One.Your Spirit moves through us as we serve the broken body of Christ
rising up for justice and equality today.

Presider 2:Please extend Your hands in blessing.

ALL:You pour out Your
spirit anew upon this bread and wine and upon us as we become more deeply the
Christ Presence in our world

On the night before he died, Jesus
came to table with the women and men he loved.Jesus took bread blessed and broke it, saying, “Take, eat, this is my
body. Do this in memory of me.”

(pause)

After supper, Jesus poured a cup of
wine and shared it with his friends, saying, “This is the cup of the covenant
of my love. As often as You drink of it, remember me.”

Presider 1:Let us proclaim the
mystery of faith:

ALL:Christ has
died in all those abused and exploited.

Christ is
rising in all those working for transformation, justice and equality.

Christ comes
each day in our work for a renewed humanity in our evolving cosmos.

Voice 3: O Empowering One, we give thanks that Mary of Magdala and
the Easter Women accompany all who rise up for non-violence, justice and
equality in our world today. We give thanks for Your Enfolding Presence empowering
survivors of abuse and harassment on their journey to healing and
wholeness.As we welcome everyone to this
sacred banquet of love, we are filled with courage to speak truth to power to
break the bonds of violence and oppression.

Voice 4: Source of All Life, we remember all people throughout the
world, as we grow in love, together with Francis our pope and our community
leaders.We remember our brothers and
sisters who have suffered abuse, bullying, and violence. We hold them in our
hearts and will work with others for just policies and laws to protect them.

Voice 5:Embracing Presence,
we remember all the companions who have gone before us:Mary, Mother of Jesus, Mary of Magdala, Junia
and Andronicus, Dorothy Day, Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, Bishop Oscar
Romero, Ita Ford, and all holy women and men who have witnessed for justice
throughout the ages. Like Jesus, their courage inspires us to confront all
forms of intimidation, discrimination and work for equality. For it is…

ALL: through living as Jesus lived,

and loving
as he loved,

that we
awaken to Your Spirit

empowering
us to work for justice.AMEN

COMMUNION RITE

The Prayer of Jesus

Presider 2:Let us pray as Jesus taught us.

Sign of Peace

Presider 1:Jesus said to his
disciples, “My peace I leave You.My
peace I give You.”

The peace of
the Holy One is also with You.

Let us hold hands in a group hug as
we sing Peace is flowing like a River.

Litany for the Breaking of the Bread

ALL:Holy One, You call
us to speak truth to power; we will do so.

Holy One, You call us to live the
Gospel ofhealing and justice; we will
do so.

Holy One, You call us to be Your
presence in the world; we will do so.

Presider 2:This is the bread of life and the cup of
blessing. Blessed are we who are called to the table.

ALL:We are the Body of
Christ.

Communion

Communion Meditation Song: Mindy Lou Simmons

CONCLUDING
RITE

Presider 1:The Holy One is
with You.

ALL:and also with You.

Blessing

Presider 2: Please extend You hands as we pray our final
blessing:

ALL: The encompassing of the
Holy One is on us,

The encompassing of the Divine
Presence,

The encompassing of the Christ of
love,

The encompassing of the Spirit of
Grace,

let us go forth from this Banquet,
aware always that each of us is the face of God, called to live love ,
compassion and justicein our world

(Adapted from Alexander Carmichael’s Carmina Gadelica)

Dismissal

Presider 1:We go forth with
the energy of Spirit Presence within us to heal and transform our church and
world.Let the service for non-violence,
justice and equality continue!

ALL:We give grateful thanks and may we be a
blessing in our time.

CONCLUDING HYMN: We Are Marching in
the Light of God, (Singing, Dancing) South African Spiritual